Brian Peterson-Roest, June 21st, 2024

Brian Peterson-Roest, June 21st, 2024

Brian Peterson-Roest discusses the impacts of climate change on his beekeeping nonprofit and on both native bees and honeybees in general. He talks about Bees in the D and its educational efforts in the Metro Detroit area.

Detroit Historical Society

Detroit Historical Society

en-US

Brian Peterson-Roest

Brian Peterson-Roest is an elementary school teacher in Rochester and founded the Detroit nonprofit Bees in the D in 2016.

Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo

6/21/2024

25:43

Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo: I'm Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo, it's June 21st, 2024, and I'm here with, please say your name.

Brian Peterson-Roest: Brian Peterson-Roest.

DLT: Can you please spell that for me?

BPR: Yes. B r i a n P e t e r s o n dash R o e s t.

DLT: And do you live in the city of Detroit?

BPR: I do.

DLT: What neighborhood do you live in?

BPR: Rivertown.

DLT: How long have you lived in that neighborhood?

BPR: About 11 years.

DLT: And have you lived in any other neighborhoods in Detroit?

BPR: No.

DLT: And what career are you in?

BPR: So I wear many hats. So, I am an elementary school teacher, but I also founded the nonprofit Bees in the D, and I am the president of that nonprofit.

DLT: And where is Bees in the D located?

BPR: In Detroit. But we— I work out of the house, if that's our main address. But we have beehives all throughout the city, so there's many different locations.

DLT: And how long have you had Bees in the D?

BPR: About eight years.

DLT: How did that get started?

BPR: Fun story. [Laughter] I, like I said, I'm an elementary school teacher, and, I actually teach in Rochester, and the Garden Club of Rochester sponsored me to go up to Beaver Island, which is in Lake Michigan, to take a two week course, through Oakland University: [Integrating] Beekeeping Across the Curriculum. As long as I brought my knowledge back to the classroom, they were going to sponsor me. And so I took the class. I caught the bug, as I say, and fell in love with these creatures. Then fast forward, I moved to the city, missed my bees, and decided to maybe get some bees in the city. Oddly enough, was walking past, now Aretha Franklin Amphitheater, was Jane Park at the time, and they were doing Wheel of Fortune tryouts. So I decided to just put my head in and see what it was all about. And I didn't get called up, but I did get a letter in the mail—because we had to fill out a card—saying, congratulations, you made it to the next round. And so I tried out and I got to be in Wheel of Fortune, made a little money and used that money to start the nonprofit Bees in the D, to help educate about our pollinators, and also help with their conservation.

DLT: And what year was this when you started the nonprofit?

BPR: 2016.

DLT: And what were some early challenges of urban beekeeping?

BPR: There's a lot of misconceptions with bees. There are many different kinds of bees, actually, in Michigan alone, 460 species. But that doesn't include our wasp. And our wasp, the Yellowjackets, especially, are the ones that typically are joining you out on the patio for your dinner or maybe your picnic. Especially towards the end of the summer. But we tend to assume that they're bees.
And so, one of the challenges was to help educate about the difference between wasp and bees and help to kind of be a voice for the bee, as they were being blamed for some of the antics of their cousins, and really help people understand that honeybees are very docile creatures. And then, of course, when you are a new nonprofit or even when you have been around for a while, funding, financing, it can be a little bit difficult as well.

DLT: And where were some of these funding and financing sources that you drew on?

BPR: So we had a lot of smaller donors. A lot of times it would be people that are just homeowners that, are passionate about our cause. But then as we grew, we developed partnerships with many different businesses throughout Detroit, or actually, throughout the whole Metro Detroit area. And so then they would sponsor hives or pay a fee to, for us to put hives on their property, maintain those hives, and to help educate. And not only their staff, but also others, as we brought in, like the Girl Scouts and brought back the beekeeping patch, or other groups that heard about us and wanted to get tours of the bee hives in Detroit.

DLT: And would you say that climate change affects your nonprofit?

BPR: Definitely. We're seeing quite a change in the seasons. It seems like winter is not as wintry, if that's a word. And I know that sounds like that would be a benefit to the bees, but actually it isn't. The bees actually do better when there is a constant cold throughout the winter months. In a nutshell, this is what the bees do in the winter, which is quite fascinating compared to most insects. The bees that emerge in October become winter bees. They're kind of a super bee. And they're designed to live much longer than the summer bees that only live 40 days. They will live the whole winter season. And they're designed to vibrate their body segments. And that vibration creates friction, and friction creates heat. And so they cluster up in the hive, to basically create a giant bee hug. And in the middle of that hug is the queen bee, the most important, at about 90 degrees all winter long.
So that's why they store up the honey through the summer, because they need to have the energy all winter. So they're basically filling their cupboards to last throughout the winter time. And so when the temperatures rise in the wintertime, they become more active, which means they need more fuel or more food, and they can tend to use up their food a little bit faster. And they also can break that cluster. And then when a cold front can come through, it can be pretty deadly for them. So that's one way that our bees, when it comes to honeybees, are affected.
But we are Bees in the D, we don't just deal with honeybees. We also deal with our native bees. And unfortunately, a lot of flowers that our native bees have built up a symbiotic relationship with, they are blooming when they, those native bees emerge from the soil or the leaf debris. They have this symbiotic relationship where they're blooming and that's their food source. But unfortunately, with climate change, some of the flowers are blooming a little bit earlier. And by the time the native bees emerge, the flowers have already wilted, or they're done blooming, and that food source is no longer available for them. And so that's an example of how it has affected our native bees. So there was an example of each, the honeybees and the native bees. And there's even more beyond that. But those are a couple of the big ways that it does affect them.

DLT: And how do these effects on the bees, how are those likely to affect Detroit's human residents?

BPR: Well, as most of you know about Detroit, it's become a very, large leader in agricultural, like, urban agriculture. And the urban gardens throughout Metro Detroit are amazing. And a lot of those gardens, whether they're personal gardens, or it's another nonprofit, or some kind of a organization, they use that food to go back to the communities or to the food banks. And, just as an example, one garden that we work with does weigh all of their produce before it does go to the community. And after we had beehives there, it was ten times more produce because the plants are getting properly pollinated and most of the vegetables and fruits and crops that we depend on, need to be pollinated by bees in order to go to fruit or seed. And so, that can affect the gardens if there's no pollinators, because then the yield will be a lot less.

DLT: And what was the name of that urban garden?

BPR: One of them that we work with is Lafayette Greens, which is right downtown. We don't have hives right in that urban garden, but they're across the street at 615 Lafayette, up on the rooftop there through bedrock. And so bees will go a 3 to 5 mile radius of their hives. And so those bees are going to their gardens, even though it's not directly in their gardens, the bees are visiting those gardens.

DLT: And do you feel that combating or alleviating these impacts of climate change is an important part of your work?

BPR: Yeah. It has become more and more important. I actually do a presentation about the climate change effect on our bees. Actually, I also do one about our monarchs and the butterflies, because they're important pollinators as well. And, it has, you know, with the rate of bees dying out in the wintertime, and, some of our pollinators, like the monarchs, some of our bumblebees now being listed on the endangered species list, it is important to talk about this because it is affecting our natural world rather obviously. And I'm trying to think of the right word for it, but it definitely is having an impact. There's the word. It's having quite an impact on our natural world.

DLT: And you mentioned earlier that because of these changes in the winter, the bees sometimes require more food and fuel during the winter. Does this make it more expensive to keep bees now?

BPR: It can. The expense for that is not great. I do supplement feed, but it's just a basic table sugar. But it does add up. And when you're a nonprofit, you know, every little bit counts. And so, yes, it does add to the cost. But where it really adds to the cost is, unfortunately, if the bees do not survive through the winter, you do need to bring in new bees. And you can purchase honeybees, but the price has gone up quite a bit. And so, some of our resources has to be used to, you know, repopulate the hives in the springtime.

DLT: And what has the community response been to your educational efforts on honeybees and native bees and climate change?

BPR: You know, at first we were very nervous about this because, of course, bees have a stinger. And so, we were afraid the reaction would be rather negative. But we have been so pleasantly shocked and surprised and encouraged with how supportive people have been. And I think that's because of the push of, you know, saving the bees and people understanding now that the diversity of food that we enjoy, we kind of owe it to the bees. And I think people are realizing that the bees are one of the most important creatures on this planet. And so actually, our reception has been fantastic. And I just love being a voice for the bees. And I get to do a lot of wonderful presentations. Not only at, you know, businesses for lunch and learns, but at libraries, at some of, schools. And that has been very well received, which is very encouraging for us.

DLT: And you mentioned that you started the nonprofit in 2016, but you were beekeeping before then?

BPR: Yeah, I've been beekeeping, oh. how many years back? It's been 16 years. So, I had been beekeeping eight years before that. So yeah, I've been beekeeping for quite a bit longer. But the nonprofit then came when I moved down to the city.

DLT: Can you talk about, a little bit more about the effects of climate change over time, how it's changed since you started working with bees 16 years ago?

BPR: Yeah. It just seems like, especially when I go back to those winters, I mean, I feel like we used to have a more consistent winter, consistent temperatures that were usually at least 40 or below freezing. And now it's just a roller coaster of temperatures: up, down, sometimes even getting up into the 60s, which is unusual. And that, of course, activates the bees. I imagine it's very confusing for them as well. Like they may assume that it is now, spring is approaching. And so, it just seems like each year our winters just get more and more mild. And that's probably the biggest change that I've seen.

DLT: Were there any particular years that stand out to you, or has it been very gradual?

BPR: It's been gradual. But I mean, I will say even this last winter, it just, it's shocking to me. Also, it just seemed like we went right into almost summer. There wasn't much of a spring. The temperatures were rising. Even now, in June, we're already into the 90s and have been consistently. And that's very surprising. And, looking at my hives, as I've been a beekeeper for so long, when I go in my hives right now, they are looking much like they usually do in mid-June—I'm sorry, mid-July. And we're only here in mid-June. And so it just seems like everything's just a little bit ahead of schedule.
And also, a lot of the flowers, as I'm a master gardener as well, are blooming a lot earlier. I've already started to see, some of the, purple loosestrife, which is highly invasive, starting to bloom already. And then I also have started to see my leafcutter bees, which are a native bee, already starting to build up, and come into our little bee condos, as they're called. And normally I don't see them until July. This can be an impact, especially if I'm going back to that purple loosestrife. Purple loosestrife is an extremely invasive plant. It is beautiful, but it can make millions of seeds just from one stock. And if it is allowed to bloom for even longer throughout the summer, because it's blooming earlier, that can be more seeds, which then can be more invasive. And so even these temperatures can affect the natural world that's around us and invasives that can crowd out some of our natives that are needed for our pollinators, especially some of our butterflies that need them as a host plant.

DLT: What are some ways that you or other organizations you know of are preparing for this progression of climate change?

BPR: Well, I'm very encouraged that we're seeing a lot more organizations and even greenhouses or businesses that are selling native plants. That has become a big push and that is helping the cause because then there's more resources for our pollinators to use. Not just the bees using the nectar from those flowers, but also many of those natives, our host plants for, like I was saying, our butterflies.

DLT: And besides climate change, are there any other environmental issues that impact your beekeeping?

BPR: Not that stick out in my mind. It's mainly the temperatures and the weather. You know, the consistent weather. Because I know there's a difference between weather and climate. And a lot of people don't understand that difference, that the weather is the here and now, and climate is over a long period of time. And so, it's really seeing that weather pattern continue, and knowing that the climate is changing is probably the biggest, the biggest thing that I notice.

DLT: And going to a different kind of environmental issue. Was your nonprofit affected by Covid-19?

BPR: Actually, yes, in both positive and negative ways. Of course, all of our in-person, our hive tours, our fundraisers, they were basically put on hold or canceled. Because we weren't, you know, obviously, gathering and especially large groups. And that kind of hurts the bottom line of our nonprofit because we depend on those fundraisers, we depend on those events to help raise money to support the nonprofit. But oddly enough, during the Covid time, the beehives were actually much more successful. And, a lot of people ask, what do you, you know, why do you think that is so? And I honestly believe that a lot of people, because they were kind of forced to stay at home, decided to garden, and a lot of people were out in the yard planting, and there were more resources then for the bees.
And actually, there's even studies that showed that the pollution was less during that time. And maybe that had a factor as well. I mean, the bees were not, there weren't as many people that were maybe using insecticides or pesticides or things like that, that helped out as well. So that allowed for the bees to actually, their populations to grow. And for us, one of the benefits of working with honeybees, besides being able to show people the incredible world of pollinators, we also can harvest honey. And that was one of our biggest honey years. And then we get to sell that honey, that then that money can go back towards the organization. So it kind of hurt us financially because of events, but it helped us financially because of production of the honey.

DLT: And from your perspective, what was the impact on other nonprofits and urban farms and gardens that you're associated with?

BPR: Well, luckily, I didn't see a huge impact on a lot of the gardens because most people that, volunteer or work in the gardens could still go out in the gardens. You were outside, there was social distancing. And it didn't affect that. And actually, I feel like maybe the gardens were more productive or more got done in those gardens because, you know, they weren't going out to restaurants or, you know, going to the movie theater or events that, where there was large amounts of people.
But I do know that other nonprofits— Because that's the fun thing about, our nonprofit or having a nonprofit in Detroit, we kind of say that we don't just live in Detroit, we're part of Detroit, and there's so many grassroots efforts, and it's actually a very, there's so many different nonprofits, but we kind of get to know each other because we're all kind of fighting for this incredible city. And, some of the nonprofits that are more a little bit more human based, not, like us, bee-based, needed, you know, a lot of their events, you have to interact with humans, and that could really hurt them, because they can't do the services that they maybe would normally do, during the pandemic.

DLT: And if the city of Detroit could offer one program or service, or a piece of green infrastructure that could help with these climate change or environmental issues, what would you want that to be?

BPR: Well, we're pretty fortunate that we get to work with a lot of the companies in Detroit and even Detroit sometimes directly. And we have noticed that we get to talk with a lot of the landscape artists or, even, like along the riverfront when they're putting in a new park. And it's so fun to see that they are now using plants that are native, and planting plants that help our pollinators, and help the ecosystem of Detroit. And that's an important part of our mission, too, where we want to make sure that we are helping to coexist with our natural world. And it's great to see that, but I would love to continue to see Detroit become a leader.
I know we're a Tree City. We're now a bee city, USA. And so it's very exciting to see Detroit is really setting the bar pretty high and setting the example for a lot of other big cities. I would love to see that continue where more of our grassy areas, especially along the highways, that maybe we allow those to go more natural or we put in wildflowers, instead of just mowing it, using the resources to mow that grass. Because grass technically, even though it— It's kind of interesting because people when we think about habitat loss, we think of building the buildings and knocking down things and plowing fields. But one of the biggest areas of habitat loss is we have a crop that we spend more resources on than almost any other crop. And that is grass, yards. And we put so much time and effort into the grass, watering it, mowing it, and it really doesn't benefit us. We don't eat grass. And it doesn't benefit our pollinators.
So I would love to see more and more areas turned over to native grasslands, native plants. I will say that I've been very impressed that I've noticed a lot of the highways, now they're planting trees along the highways and plants and that's very encouraging to see because people don't think of it, but trees are very helpful for our pollinators as well, because trees go to seed as well. And so they do bloom, even trees that we don't think of as blooming trees like maples, the little helicopters that come off, those are the seeds. They needed to be pollinated in order to go to seed. And so that's a resource for our pollinators.

DLT: Earlier you mentioned, bee condos. I know your website talks about bee hotels. Can you talk a little bit more about what purpose those serve?

BPR: Yeah. So out of the 460 species of bees that are in Michigan—by the way, there's 4000 in America and over 20,000 worldwide—almost all of those bees are solitary. And what that means is they don't build the large colonies like honeybees or the smaller colonies like bumblebees. They live on their own. But those bees rely on empty sticks or tubes that are in nature. And so we have created or simulated those empty sticks by making bee condos, which usually is, they usually use tubes of, like, bamboo or something like that. And those bees then go in there. The leafcutter bees, the mason bees are great examples. And they lay an egg and then, they put a little bit of pollen, and then the mason bees, they get their name because they use mud to put a little divider and then another egg, pollen, mud.
And then the leafcutter bees do the same thing. But instead of the mud, they use a leaf. And by putting those out, we're giving them a resource that they need so that they can reproduce. And it really is quite simple and it's so fun to see them emerging, especially in early spring, the mason bees, or seeing them build up those tubes and filling them up with mud. We do get a lot of calls because people are concerned, and that actually is encouraging to me. I am encouraged by how many calls I get because it shows that people care. They care about the bees and they're concerned that maybe they're building, you know, a colony, but when it's the mason bees or the leaf cutters, they're not. But they care enough to call and don't just spray. And that's very encouraging.

DLT: Absolutely. And, if you were talking to someone who didn't believe that climate change is an issue or that it exists, what would you say to them?

BPR: I honestly, I don't know how they can't see that things have changed, especially if they've lived in one area consistently, like Michigan. But I would want to make sure that they first understand the difference, like I said earlier, between weather and climate. Because a lot of people, I've heard people say, like, you know, when it's a really cold day in the winter and they're like, well, so much for global warming! And it's like, well, no, we're still going to have, you know, days of cold. It's more looking at it as a whole. And when we're looking at our summer seasons or even our winter season as a whole, these last few years have been the hottest on record. That's the climate.
And I know some people will talk about how it's a natural cycle in the Earth, which can be as well, but we do contribute to that. With putting, you know, the carbon dioxide into the air and polluting the air. And, so I, I would encourage them to, even if they don't believe it completely, to realize that we can have an effect on this planet. And it really is our, I would say, our role to figure out a way to coexist, because this is the only planet we have currently. [Laughter] So, we have, you know, generations to come that are going to need to use it. So it's, we really do need to take care of it.

DLT: And was there anything else you wanted to discuss that none of my questions have brought up so far?

BPR: Not that I can think of.

DLT: All right. So then that was all the questions I had for you today. Thank you very much for your time.

BPR: Yeah, thank you very much.